In our December 2001/January
2002 issue, Khaled Abou El Fadl opened a discussion on the place of
pluralism and tolerance in Islam. While Abou El Fadl argued for the
centrality of tolerance, kindness, and justice in the Qur'an, he also
insisted that Islamic scriptures, like all religious texts, provide
"possibilities for meaning, not inevitabilities." So the argument against
Islamic fundamentalism cannot simply be textual. In this issue, the
discussion continues. Three prominent students of Islam engage Abou
El Fadl's comments about the history of Islam, the nature of religious
interpretation, and the contemporary role of Islamic "puritans."